Bio Fuel

Basic Operation and Description
Bio fuel is either a solid, liquid or gas form that has been extracted from a
biomass system. In recent years research in this field has taken a giant leap forward
do to the unprecedented increase in the price of crude oil fuels. Interest has developed
among many governments around the world because of the alarming increase of greenhouse
gasses caused by the release of spent fuels.
Typical Bio Fuel Distillery
Biomass usually consists of organic waste produced by human, animal or plant
activity. Cultivation can grow material for producing bio-fuels such as corn, sugarcane,
soybeans, palm oil, flaxseed, jatropha, and rapeseed. Others are animal excreta,
biodegradable waste from industries like timber, rice husks, straw, decomposed food
and sewage. All these materials are turned into biogas with the help of anaerobic
digestion. This carbon cycle organic compound is utilized for the production of
bio-fuel. Research has suggested utilizing micro algae along with other supplements
such as hydrogen, bio-diesel, ethanol, methane, and methanol as an alternate source
of fuel. Bio-fuels aren't a new invention they have existed since before World War
II. Scientists like Rudolf Van Diesel invented a peanut oil fuel and Nikolaus August
Otto invented Ethanol as a substitute for non-renewable fuel resources.
The founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford designed the Ford Model T car,
which ran on Ethanol. But after the discovery of crude oil, which was cheap and
easy to extract, bio fuel research suffered a setback. Due to the alarming rise
in oil prices, pollution and diminishing non-renewable fuels, the worlds focus is
shifting to bio fuels. George W. Bush, the President of the United States in 2007,
has stated that by 2025, seventy five percent of the usage of crude oil fuels will
be replaced by bio fuels. An amount of $375 million US dollars has been designated
for bio-energy research at centers across America. In 2005, United States was the
largest ethanol fuel producing country with the production of sixteen billion liters.
The European Union has published that by the year 2020; nearly nineteen million
tons of fuel will be available from bio mass and out of which fifty percent will
be derived from organic waste. Bio-fuel's popularity is increasing day by day in
the automotive sector.
Research on corn-derived ethanol has being taken one step further to produce
a cellulose ethanol, which can be easily derived from grass and plants without affecting
the food chain. In the process of production of bio fuels major amounts of non-renewable
resource are being used presently. Additionally the total carbon produced is less
when compared to other sources. Carbon is present due to the absorption of atmospheric
carbon dioxide by plants for their growth. The concept of a carbon neutral is being
developed so as not to deplete forests in large amounts and to maintain the level
of carbon in the air. Presently bio fuels are not used as a standalone fuel; it
is mixed in oils and fuels used for different purposes.

According to the Well-to-Wheel analysis which considers carbon and energy costs
of the manufacturing and consumption of fuels, nearly sixty percent of carbon emissions
can be reduced using first generation bio fuels and nearly eighty percent can be
reduced by use of second generation bio fuels, when compared to the usage of non-renewable
fuels. The first generation bio fuel consists of fuels derived from vegetable and
animal fats, sugar and starch. The derivatives are bio-diesel, butanol, alcohols,
ethanol, methanol, biogas and vegetable oil. The second-generation fuels are derived
from lignocelluloses biomass feedstock and they are produced by biomass system using
liquid technology. The derivatives are DMF, bio-DME, fischer-tropsch diesel, bio-methanol,
HTU diesel, and mixed alcohols.
Bio fuels used for transportation purposes can be broadly classified into the
following categories: bio-ethanol, bio-diesel and biogas. Bio-ethanol is an alcohol-based
fuel, which is produced from the process of sugar or starch fermentation. Bio-diesel
is produced from vegetable and animal oils waste and biogas is produced from the
anaerobic digestion of organic waste and is also used to produce electricity.
The sudden increase in the usage of bio fuels has created a demand for farmers
to not only grow crops for food but also for the production of bio fuels. Research
has been carried out to utilize the non-edible part of the plants and fast growing
grass. The cellulose in the stalks complements the process because they contain
a very high complex of hydrocarbons, which are the building blocks of gas and diesel
fuel. The production of bio fuels has an impact on the environment that cannot be
neglected. Although the aim is to stop damage to the environment, transportation
and other processes involve the consumption of crude oil fuels on a large scale
releasing harmful gases like nitrogen oxides on the pretext of decreasing the carbon
output.
Basic Maintenance
The most commonly used bio-fuel for transportation in the United States is gasohol
or E10. It consists of ninety percent gasoline and ten percent ethanol. In 1998,
a rule was enforced to use E20 and E85 fuels with small changes. When using bio
fuels care must be taken to modify the
engine fuel system accordingly
or risk damaging the fuel system especially in traditional diesel engines.

AUTHOR

Written by Ken LavacotCo-Founder and CEO of 2CarPros.com35 years in the automotive repair field, ASE Master Technician, Advanced Electrical and Mechanical Theory.

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